Game Reviews

Robo5

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Robo5
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For man-made automata based on the concept of artificially-created intelligence, robots sure like to indulge in a lot of soul-searching.

Short Circuit's Johnny 5 went from war machine to peace-loving hero, and Star Wars’s C3PO was so highly strung about his position in the universe that it’s a wonder Skywalker and his pals didn’t deactivate him permanently just to get a bit of peace and quiet.

The protagonist of iPhone puzzler Robo5 is a similarly sensitive chap, and like so many of his kind he’s on a quest to discover a bit more about himself. Naturally, he does this by collecting items and moving blocks around.

Robo5 is alive

Your main aim in Robo5 is to ascend to the top of a stack of blocks. Along the way you collect items that boost your overall score, and you’ll also encounter a devilish number of logic puzzles that will test your spacial awareness to the limit.

You can push and pull various blocks in order to create a pathway to the top. You can also grab onto the side of some blocks in order to reach previously inaccessible sections of the stage.

Like so many iOS titles, Robo5 rates your performance on a three-star grading scale. Finishing each stage in as efficient a manner as possible grants you the maximum haul, and these are used to unlock diary entries that divulge a little more of the game’s story.

Dear diary

Some of the later levels in Robo5 are gloriously fiendish, and the game soon feels like some kind of twisted vertical Rubik’s Cube. There’s a real sense of satisfaction when you spot the solution and successfully complete a tough level, but it’s made harder than it should be by the obtuse controls.

Pushing and pulling blocks is done by holding your finger on the block and swiping in the direction you’d like it to go. This may sound simple enough, but in practice it’s very hit-and-miss.

Swipes very often go wrong, releasing your character’s grip on the block and forcing you to reposition your finger again. The annoying thing is that there doesn’t seem to be a surefire method to performing the swipe - we tried slow and fast gestures, but both experienced almost identical failure rates.

System failure

It’s a shame that this issue exists, because almost every other aspect of Robo5 is worthy of praise. The cel-shaded 3D visuals are unique and packed with character, and the challenge level is stern enough to keep you busy for quite some time.

If the developer can solve the disappointing control problems then Robo5’s appeal will be improved dramatically, but at the moment its interface quirks hold it back.

Robo5

Robo5’s excellent presentation and challenging puzzles are undone by awkward and unresponsive controls
Score
Damien  McFerran
Damien McFerran
Damien's mum hoped he would grow out of playing silly video games and gain respectable employment. Perhaps become a teacher or a scientist, that kind of thing. Needless to say she now weeps openly whenever anyone asks how her son's getting on these days.